“Massive” stands for the scale, a MOOC is open to an indefinite amount of students, and that can mean a positively huge amount. At this point the number of students registered for the EDCMOOC has reached the 36 000 mark, and counting. Instructors cannot possibly keep track of the amount of interactions and content produced by tens of thousands of students, so students organize themselves, turning a myriad of social platforms into their learning environment.

“Open” says that there is no pay wall, registration process or other impediment to entering the course. Open also refers to a certain absence of a fixed path or strong guidance from an all-seeing, all-knowing teacher. Descriptions that pop up are “edupunk”, or “DIY learning”. It is “open” as in open door, but also as in open source.